Fire-escape



(No Model.)

0. OONNOLLY.

FIRE ESCAPE. gzyz PaQtientd Nov. 1a, 1883. I

IL-T

ST TE PATENT OFFIC.

H Fl RE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 288,411, dated November 13,1883.

Application filed June 12, 1883. "(No model.)

.To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES CONNOLLY, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Turners Falls, in the county of Franklin and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in portable fire-escapes, the object being to provide improved operating devices for fireescapes of thisclass, whereby they are brought under more perfect control of the operator and greater safety is secured.

In the drawings 'forming part of this specification, Figure 1 illustrates a portion of a front of a building having sup ended therefrom a fire-escape constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the frame,

showing certain parts removed. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views.

In the drawings, D represents a portionof the wall of a building, having secured by the side of the window thereof a bracket, A, to which a rope, I), is attached, which reaches to the ground. The rope I) may be attached to the building in any other secure manner, so that it descend within convenient distance of the windows or other openings in the wall.

The fire-escape apparatus, embodying the mechanism whereby a person is able to descend from a building to the ground from a window therein or other point, and control his motion in conjunction with said rope b, consists of a rectangular frame, made by uniting two'fside rails, d d, having longitudinal grooves therein of T shape in cross-section, by cross-bars o oat each end, and having hung between said rails elastic-faced rollers 12 w and a roller, 1;, and provided with means for moving rollers 00, and with a suitable seat for a person, as hereinafter set forth.

surface of said rollers is brought directly in contact with the interior surface of said bearings for the purpose of creating a certain amount of frictional resistance, to retard the rotation of the rollers 12, when the rollers 00, having the rope 1) between them, and the rollers o are forced against them, as hereinafter set forth.

The boxes 6 of each side of the frame areconnected together by a rod, i, and a screwrod, a, provided with a suitable handwheel on its lower end, is connected with each of the lower boxes, e, by a swivel connection, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, whereby the boxes 0 and the rollers m, which are supported therein, can, by a person seated in the apparatus and operating the screw-rods a, be moved toward and from the rollers 11.

A roller, 1;, is hung on the frame, to one side and out of the line of the rollers 00 and 0, around which the rope 12 passes, to cause it to take an angular course as it pas es over the roller above and below it and give the rope more of a surface-bearing on said rollers than it would otherwise have. 1

Two brackets, up, are secured to the frame, one on either side, to which are attached two ropes, a, supporting a seat, w. A strap, m, is attached to the ropes n, which is adapted to be buckled around the body of a person seated in the apparatus, as shownin Fig. 1.

The operation of my apparatus is as follows: The apparatus is supplied with the rope I), which is connected therewith, passing from endto end between the rollers thereof, as shown, and when to be used the upper end of the rope is made fast to the bracket A, or other suitable object. The screws a, are turned to force the rollers :12 a; firmly against the rollers 12, clamping the rope b therebetween, so that the fire-escape cannot move on the rope whenthe weight of a person is added to it. The

person wishing to descend now seats himself on the seat w, buckling strap at around him, and grasping the hand-wheels of the screwrods to, as shown in Fig. 1, he turns the latter sufficiently to reduce the pressure of roll- IOO 2 QQQAll ers 00 against rollers 2), thereby permitting the apparatus and the person to descend slowly and safely on rope I) to the ground.

This device is adapted to be made of such 5 dimensions as to be portable, and be carried in a trunk; or each room of a hotel -or other building may be supplied with one, and with suitable means for keeping the rope I) permanently attached to the building, so that it will 10 always be ready for use.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is- A fire-escape consisting of a rectangular frame having side rails, (Z (1, each provided the latter, and the rope I), combined and operating substantially as set' forth.

CHARLES CONN OLLY. Witnesses:

A. B. WALLACE, H. A. OHAPIN. 

